I have been fortunate in life to travel a great deal, and through my adventures I have met many people who live lives very different from my own.
In Puerto Rico I stayed in a condo that was part of a gated community, with three big high-rises contained within. It was right on the beach and had a tennis court, swimming pool, a library and security. It was safe and clean and full of both snowbirds from the States and retirees from Puerto Rico.
I loved it. It was quiet and secure and the people were friendly. I would return there two more years after the first, staying as long as six weeks at a time. It’s where I discovered who I was meant to be.
In the condo next to me lived an elderly Puerto Rican woman, somewhere in her eighties I would guess. She lived alone but would keep her main door open all day with the heavy metal security door on the outside of it closed. I could see through the wrought iron when I passed by, but she was still safely locked inside.
It always smelled of incense when I walked by her door. I didn’t figure out until much later that she burned it to cover up the smell of the marijuana that she smoked. My sweet elderly neighbour was an avid pot user.
It’s common in the island, and especially among the elderly. It is how they deal with chronic pain in an affordable way. Marijuana is much cheaper than prescription drugs.
Every day, someone would come and visit her to say hi and to see that she was okay. I think they were making sure she had made it through another night, and it was wonderful that she had people who cared about her. That made it seem okay, and she was happy, even though she had family who didn’t bother to come to see her.
She never said she was lonely, but she always brightened so much when I stopped to say hi. We talked in Spanish and she delighted in the exchange, as did I.
I left after my four-week stay and promised to come visit her the next winter. I stayed in a different condo on the second trip in one of the other buildings, but I made my way over to say hello early on in the stay. The door was closed so I couldn’t see if she was home. I knocked, but no one was there.
I found out later that they had found her one morning, still in bed, passed on to wherever we go when we are finished with this life here.
The smell of incense still lingered in the hallway.
There wouldn’t be any parades to celebrate her life, but to me her life was a celebration. She lived it her way right until the end, content to spend the day in her own way and not feeling any remorse or regret. She showed me how a life well-lived just means finding a sense of peace within and being okay with just being okay.
There is nothing we need to do here that has to be grand or even noticed by anyone else. In the end none of the external accolades will matter at all. The satisfaction that comes from having lived in a peaceful way surrounded by love for yourself and for all around is enough.
Kindness and compassion are the deepest marks we can leave in this world. Our actions speak louder than anything we will ever say.
Life can be as simple or as difficult as we choose to make it, and the important thing is to enjoy every step along the way. Happiness is the way to success. A simple life may be the answer you are looking for.
Being content is a worthwhile goal in itself. It is more than enough.